March 15th
by soulful-sin
Summary: On the "worst day ever", March 15th, Denzel Crocker decides he's going to change the world. And what a dark world that is.
1. Chapter 1

It was March 15th again and Crocker loathed the date. He wished he could mount Turner to a target and throw dart boards at him, but the schoolboard had threatened him if he assaulted a student, even if it _was_ Turner. He knew, even if he couldn't prove, that Turner was the reason he was so miserable. Plus, Turner clearly had godparents, which was flaunting it in Crocker's face. However, this time, he had a plan to capture them. This time, March 15th wouldn't be such a failure.

He had draped butterfly nets inside of his desk and plotted to capture Turner's pencil and notebook, which were green and pink respectively. The boy was sleeping with his eyes open again while, beside him, Chloe took assiduous notes. Sometimes, although Chloe was his best student, he abhorred her. She was too chipper and solicitous, plus she had befriended Turner. If anything spelled someone's downfall, it was hanging around that idiot.

"Since you're not using those, I think I'll confiscate them," Crocker murmured and grabbed the pencil and notebook. Both yelped and Crocker raised his eyebrows. They were supposed to be incognito and they were speaking aloud? Feeling vindictive, he whacked them both against the desk and dazed them. For good measure, he did it a couple more times.

"Mr. Crocker, what are you doing with Timmy's pencil and notebook?" Chloe asked and he glowered at her.

"What does it look like I'm doing?" he snapped. "I'm confiscating them. He can have them back when he learns to pay attention for ten minutes! If his parents come in and demand them back, then I'll return them."

Then, squeezing the notebook and pencil hard to prevent their escape, he flung them into his drawer, where the butterfly net should ensnare them. Neither Chloe nor Turner knew what was in the desk, but Chloe jumped to her feet anyway. Crocker fought a snarl. Things had been so much easier before she'd arrived in class.

"Mr. Crocker, don't you need evidence before you confiscate someone's belongings?"

"No," he snapped. "I don't. I'm the teacher. If I wanted to mount Turner to a dartboard and throw sharp objects at him, I could. Just because the schoolboard disagrees…"

He huffed. Blinking rapidly, Turner awoke and glanced about him. His first glance went to his desk, where his faeries normally hid, and then, from there, horror-struck, he turned to Chloe. They seemed to be holding a silent conversation and Crocker growled, hip-checking the drawer and facing his unruly students.

"He will get them back when his parents come in," Crocker repeated. "Now, I'm going to pretend to teach math and you are going to pretend to learn."

Chloe wasn't inclined to let this pass. "But he wasn't _doing_ anything with them. You can't incriminate him on lack of evidence."

"This isn't a democracy, Carmichael," he snapped, his patience wearing thin. "Sit down or I'll give you detention along with Turner."

"What'd I do?" Timmy snapped.

"You fell asleep in class," Crocker reminded him and glared. "Find another pencil and notebook and start working or else."

Crocker snapped his fingers and the ravenous dogs he'd kept inside a cage growled, advancing as far as their leashes would allow and moving the cages as they did so. Timmy's friends kept mum and Crocker smirked. Then again, their being quiet might've had less to do with their objections and more to do with their preoccupations with Crocker's injustices.

"No one wants to put the dunce cap on and sit in the corner while a dog nibbles at your foot? No one?" Crocker taunted.

"This is cruel and unusual punishment!" Chloe admonished. She was quivering in outrage. Crocker's mood, always mercurial at the best of times, was shifting into outright cruelty. While he normally restrained himself in front of Chloe, as his best student and the one who made him look good, March 15th was too infuriating to overlook her flaws. He advanced on her and, to her credit, she stood her ground.

"My _life_ is cruel and unusual punishment," he snarled. "Go to the principal's office. And before you ask, because I know you're about to, it's for insubordination."

Chloe's mouth opened and closed several times. She looked like she might object and was attempting to master herself. He'd never sent her to the principal's office before on her own merits. However, she was getting under his skin and since he couldn't assault one of his students and he didn't dare sic a dog on her, since her parents were active PTA members when they were in the country, he had little choice.

Lips pressed together, her lower lip quivering, she gathered her belongings and, casting one last glance at Crocker's desk, walked out. Her outrage was almost tangible and on another day, he might have apologized and called her back. Now, when she walked out the door, he slammed it behind her so hard the glass shook in the frame.

"You didn't have to do that," Turner said, which was a mistake. He'd nearly forgotten Turner's existence in his rage against Chloe. He rounded on the bucktoothed boy and slammed his hands down on his desk. Mechanical arms flew out of the wall below the blackboard and wrapped about Timmy's arms and legs. They squeezed, too, so that the boy cried out and Crocker could see that the iron restraints would leave bruises. He smirked.

"Your parents won't say a thing," he sneered at him. "They also aren't going to come in for your stuff. Don't waste your breath."

He snapped his fingers and a giant magnet descended from the ceiling to latch onto Chester's braces. He'd liked that touch last year and Chester struggled to extricate himself. As for Timmy's other friends—he had placed Sanjay on a treadmill that only increased its speed; Elmer was dangling by his boil from the ceiling; A.J. was stuck trying to figure out a brain puzzle that was too difficult for even an expert. They'd been ignoring Timmy's troubles because they couldn't concentrate on their predicaments plus his.

"You can't keep doing this," he objected. "Every March 15th, you're a jerk to everyone and you get away with it!"

"Because, Turner, no one cares," he said and his eyes flashed. "Your parents don't care about you. The one person whose parents care about them in this whole class is Chloe and that's why I sent her out."

Timmy opened his mouth to object again and another mechanical arm appeared, clamping around Timmy's throat. A.J. looked up from his brain puzzle, but when he did, a small metal arm came out and zapped him. It would continue to do so if he ignored it and its voltage would increase the longer he disregarded it.

"I can't kill you," Crocker sneered. "But I can make your life more miserable than it already is. And this time, you don't have your precious _faeries_ to help you out."

Or Chloe, for that matter. He returned to the chalkboard. All the students who weren't otherwise being menaced kept a close eye on the dogs as Crocker pretended to teach. No one was going to pay much attention to the lesson, but he wanted to show he'd at least tried to educate them. He'd created a lesson plan for today, though he doubted he'd use it. He never taught on March 15th.

However, while he worked, his mind drifted to the drawer. Doubtless by now Turner's faeries would have discovered their captivity. He imagined their distress and sneered. They were trapped, but otherwise safe. They weren't being tortured like his students. Speaking of which, he really wished he could hurt Turner beyond mild strangulation and bruising, but anything more than psychological scars would require explanations. Even with tenure, that shit didn't fly.

He managed to keep himself preoccupied for a couple hours soaking up his students' misery, especially Turner's. Turner kept glancing at the door to see whether Chloe might return. He was like a puppy dog. Speaking of which…

He glanced toward Tootie, whose life had to be as miserable as his own. She hadn't protested her parents not caring about her, nor had the popular kids. Trixie Tang, however, along with Tootie, was looking distressed at Timmy's condition. Crocker's eyes narrowed. He couldn't attack her, because her father would sue the school. He'd have to leave her alone.

When the lunch bell rang, dismissing them for the moment, he suspended his punishments for the time being and permitted Turner to leave. The students filed out and, to his shock, Trixie was giving him a dirty look, along with Turner's friends. Huh, she cared what befell Turner. Perhaps Turner's crush wasn't one-sided. Oh, well, he'd care more if he didn't have more important things to consider.

Once everyone had left, he closed the door and opened the drawer. Once open, the butterfly net strings were apparent and two small faeries peered up at him. Crocker smiled.

"Cosmo and Wanda, I assume?" he said and they flinched.

"You're wondering how I know your names," he scoffed. "Let's say Turner seldom uses his 'inside' voice. I'm also aware that Chloe Carmichael has something to do with you two, though what, I don't know yet."

"Uncle Denzel?" Kevin called and Crocker hissed, rounding on his nephew. Right now, Kevin resembled everything he loathed about his life. However, if he mistreated _him_ , Crocker's half-sister would come down on him. These rules and restrictions were abhorrent today.

"Look what I have," he entreated and Kevin approached. Cosmo and Wanda were staring at the two Crockers and Crocker smirked back. Kevin looked apprehensive.

"They don't look happy…" he said.

"Of course they're not happy," he sneered. "They're about to be put to better use than Turner could possibly do."

"But, Uncle Denzel…" Kevin protested and Crocker glowered at him.

"Either get with the program or get out. Who are you going to tell? Who would possibly believe you?"

Kevin's gaze hooked onto the faeries and they appeared to be begging for rescue. Crocker slammed the drawer shut and heard two thuds as the faeries hit the sides. He snickered. Kevin blanched and steadied himself, as though he was about to confront him.

"You're hurting them."

"In case you haven't noticed, they're not human," he scoffed. "And they're just _faeries_. They're made to do human bidding. They're slaves, not thinking and feeling beings."

Still, Kevin hesitated. Crocker got up from his seat and pushed his nephew toward the door. Kevin kept casting glances behind him, up until Crocker locked him out. He'd have to answer for this abuse later, but that was if the school day proceeded as planned. With Cosmo and Wanda at his disposal, he doubted it.

He opened the drawer once more and the two faeries were rubbing their temples. They had substantial lumps on their heads and Crocker snorted. Both glared at him; his lower lip curled in disdain. So what if they looked human-like? They weren't human. They were beneath him.

"You two will grant my wishes," he snapped.

"No," said the female one haughtily. "We won't."

"What are you going to do? Knock us around some more?" the male added.

"I will drain the magic from you, drop by drop," he informed them and his eyes flashed. "I'll give what's left back to Turner. Without your wands, of course. _If_ there's anything left."

"And how do you propose to do that?" Cosmo countered.

Crocker indicated a small device nearby that they might have taken for a tape measure. He clicked it and was about to turn it on when he heard several thuds against the door. Through the window, he saw Chloe Carmichael, Turner, and Kevin attempt to force the lock. Sighing, he debated shutting the drawer again. Then he decided to ignore them and turned the machine on.

Cosmo and Wanda screamed as it ripped the magic from their bodies and beneath the screams, Crocker heard breaking glass. Turner was forcing his way in and once he'd gotten the door unlocked, he let the others in. Behind Kevin and Chloe were Chester, A.J., Sanjay, and Elmer. Irritated, Crocker shut off the machine and Cosmo and Wanda sighed, slumped over.

"Leave them alone!" Chloe ordered. Turner's hand was bloody from breaking the glass and Crocker snorted at him. Then, in deliberate contradiction to Chloe's demand, Crocker turned the machine back on. He could leave the faeries as shells if he wanted to. Give Turner back their corpses.

"Uncle Denzel!" Kevin said and lunged at him. He knocked him over and Turner and Chloe hastened to the drawer. They shut off the machine and Crocker growled, pushing his nephew aside. Cosmo and Wanda's eyes were glassy and they swayed when they attempted to stand. Chloe was reaching through the butterfly net to extract the magic sucking device and Crocker glared.

"You know, Turner, I'm impressed," Crocker sneered. "You managed to turn my nephew against me and rally your friends to save these sub-human _creatures_."

"They're not— "Timmy started and Chloe hushed him.

"It doesn't matter what you think they are," Chloe said. "They're creatures with feelings and rights the same as you and me."

"No, they aren't," he snapped and grabbed the magic device before Chloe could remove it. He triggered it again, Cosmo and Wanda screamed, and Crocker depressed a button on the top to imbue himself with magical powers. He closed his eyes and imagined himself far from here, but with Cosmo and Wanda in his possession.

What he didn't reckon on was Kevin's last ditch effort to stop him. The kid hadn't released him and they reappeared in Crocker's house in the basement.

"You have to stop," Kevin pleaded.

"No, I don't," he said and juggled the butterfly net containing Cosmo and Wanda. "You're a Crocker. This is your inheritance. One day, when I'm dead, you'll own them too."

"That's what you think," Cosmo said and Wanda shushed him.

Crocker depressed the button again to create another reality, a different one, in which faeries were slaves to humans. Then again, this probably wouldn't be much of a change, would it? He smirked and listened to Cosmo and Wanda scream as the last of their magic left them.

The world flickered and Crocker expected to be appointed the emperor of his new realm. Kevin latched onto the tape measure like device and was trying to wrench it from his grip. Jeez. Crocker didn't want to hurt the kid, but he wasn't leaving him many options. Since when was he virulently on Turner's side?

Crocker dropped the butterfly net, figuring it would distract Kevin, which it did. He hastened toward the two faeries and Crocker stepped over them. The world would be made anew in his image. Kevin would accept it in time. If he didn't…Crocker would deal with that when it arose.

For now, he was looking forward to seeing what havoc his newfound magic had wreaked.

Her first sight, of a childlike Crocker kneeling over them, prompted Wanda to yelp and scramble backward, dragging Cosmo with her. Cosmo hadn't regained consciousness yet and she was worried about him. The Bond between them hadn't just evaporated, it'd _deadened_. The world felt flat and colors dull. Faeries could hear and perceive more than humans, but right now, Wanda wouldn't bet on that.

"Uncle Denzel wished for a world where faeries were slaves to humans," Kevin told them. "I don't know where Timmy and Chloe are, but I guess still at school. I can take you to them."

Should she trust this small human? He was Crocker's nephew, true, but he wasn't that bad. She still remembered his choice to save them instead of abusing their magic. It also looked like she had little choice in the matter. If she didn't trust him, Crocker would deliver their nearly magicless bodies to Timmy and Chloe in whatever manner he chose.

"All right," she said. She nudged Cosmo. "C'mon, wake up."

"Huh…" he said and turned to her. "Wanda, I had the craziest dream. We got captured by Crocker and he drained us of our magic."

"That wasn't a dream," she said.

"Oh."

"Uncle Denzel still has your magic," Kevin said. "I don't know what he's doing with it."

"Something nefarious," Cosmo said. "Whatever that means."

Wanda rolled her eyes at her husband. She struggled to stand, but her body, without magic, was too weak to support her. Faeries didn't normally walk, they floated unless they were in disguise. She didn't have enough magic to disguise herself, but it didn't matter now. If Crocker had wished faeries were slaves to humans, they would appear in abundance. She wouldn't exactly have to conceal her nature.

"It's a good thing you two are weightless," he said and scooped them back up into that heinous butterfly net. He slung it over his shoulder and they ascended the stairs. It was probably a good thing that their magical senses were dulled, or she probably would have felt the turmoil firsthand. She was aware of it, though, beating against her skull. She was also aware of Timmy and Chloe calling their names, but they couldn't reach them from here. They had to know it was fruitless to try.

Once they exited onto the street, the world transformed. Technology was everywhere and humans were walking faeries on leashes, like they were pets. Wanda seethed and Cosmo yelped, latching onto her, when he saw someone casually whip a faerie. Wanda hugged him back. Was this their destiny? Or would it be worse, since they had almost nothing Crocker could use? The only way Crocker could extract the last bit would be to turn them into faerie dust. She hoped he didn't figure that out.

"I'll get you back to school," Kevin promised and then hesitated, adding, "If the school is still there."

That was a bet she wasn't willing to take. Grimacing, she indicated that Kevin should lead on. As they went, there were further signs of magical abuse, from houses that reached up into the heavens to robots and faeries cleaning up after the minutest things, like litter. The air tingled with magic and if she could just seize a little of it and power up her wand…

Kevin did his best not to jostle them, though he was also running, which meant they rolled around in the net. Wanda had never spent so long in a butterfly net and she devoutly wished to burn it to cinders. If she had had her magic…or if she'd been able to do magic without a wand…but then there were the net's nullifying properties to contend with.

The school didn't exist anymore. Kevin skidded to a stop where it had been, where an arcade was now. Timmy and Chloe were nowhere to be found. Wanda's heart sank. Where could they have gone?

"Wanda, look," Cosmo said, pointing to a nearby utility pole. Kevin ripped a poster down and read off it.

"Wanted: Chloe Carmichael and Timmy Turner for crimes against His Imperial Highness, Denzel Crocker," he read. "Dead or alive."

The words chilled her. She glanced at Cosmo, whose gaze was fixed upon the poster. Kevin stared at it a moment longer and then tucked it into his pocket. She didn't know what he thought he was going to do with it.

"We'll find them," he vowed. "I'll help you."

"Great, we're down to trusting a Crocker," Cosmo muttered. "What else could wrong?"

"Hush," she said. She didn't want to chance Kevin having a bad side. Chloe had shown Kevin compassion and friendship. Perhaps that much had gone a long way toward Kevin's attitude. Chloe could work miracles. Wanda had seen it before. And Kevin wasn't a bad kid without Crocker's influence.

Then again, she hadn't spent time alone with him. And if Crocker was ruling the world, that meant Kevin was either his accomplice in this new reality or his enemy. Crocker wouldn't abide the latter, which meant that once Kevin adjusted…they were in trouble. Why the hell couldn't Crocker have wished for spinach puffs? Or to turn Timmy into a llama? Okay, so the latter was a plot to a movie.

"Don't worry," Kevin said, judging the look on her face. "I won't let you down."

"Could you, though?" Cosmo said. "I'm getting a little sick."

"Oh, sure," he said and lowered the net until it reached the ground. Cosmo stumbled out to retch and Wanda wasn't far behind him. They couldn't stand for very long and she knew the best way to transport them was that horrible, horrible butterfly net.

"I hope he isn't a chip off the old Crock," Cosmo muttered.

"I hope Timmy and Chloe are all right…" Wanda murmured back. If Crocker was half as sadistic with them as he'd been in class today, it didn't bode well.

"We have to save them," Chloe said. "They could be…"

She stopped herself and Timmy completed her thought in his mind. They could be dead. Would they know if they were? Did their magic continue even if they had passed on? They didn't even know what Crocker had wished for; Timmy only knew that Chloe had taken one look at a utility pole and hauled him off into the one place no one would look for him, the library.

He couldn't say they were fine. They both knew that was a lie. They'd heard Cosmo and Wanda scream and the sound echoed in Timmy's mind. They could be dead. He couldn't stop thinking it now and it was the last thing he wanted to consider. He kept seeing their limp forms in Crocker's desk drawer.

"You don't think Kevin could help us, do you?" Chloe asked.

"He's a Crocker," Timmy scoffed. "Even if he wanted to, he's still Mr. Crocker's nephew. He's not gonna side with us just because you invited him to work on our science project that one time that doesn't technically count because it no longer exists."

"There's good in him," she persisted. "I know it."

They were sitting in the rear of the library to prevent being overheard, though they needn't have bothered. Faeries floated everywhere, fixing books on shelves, programming and fixing computers, and otherwise making human lives easier. Also, lazier. There were no longer any humans manning the reference desk or the checkout counter. Someone who'd gone to library school was now out of a job.

"Yeah, yeah," he scoffed. "Whatever you say, Chipper Kathy."

Chloe sighed, looking like she wanted to shake him but refraining. She hadn't been having a very good day before the world imploded on them. Timmy might be inclined to feel sorry for her if it hadn't been her fault for stirring the pot. Still, he appreciated that she'd tried to defend him and their faeries. It'd just been a failed attempt.

"There's good in Crocker too."

"You saw the way he was treating Cosmo and Wanda," he retorted. Anger made a hot ball in his chest. "He acted like they were _things_. Like it didn't matter if he hurt them. That's how _everyone's_ acting around here."

He pointed out the window, where someone was walking a faerie on a leash and then, when the faerie hesitated a minute too long, the man whipped it. Sparkling faerie blood came out upon the whip and the two children winced. Chloe edged closer to Timmy.

"I know you wanna believe the best in people, but sometimes, there is no best. Or even good. Sometimes, there's just crap."

She turned back toward him and her eyes shone with unshed tears. "If I don't believe the best in him or Kevin, then what hope do we have of finding Cosmo and Wanda again?"

He didn't want to tell her they would and give her false hope. Likewise, he didn't want to say that he had a plan, because he didn't. Yet he found it difficult to tell her outright that their faeries were doomed. Besides, the thought of Cosmo and Wanda dead ripped a hole in his chest. He loved them so much and the way Crocker had been abusing them looped in his mind.

They turned away from the window, because the scene was too gruesome. Even in here, it wasn't much better, but at least no one was being actively tortured. They didn't look happy, but it could be worse.

"At least no one's coming to turn us in," Timmy said, though he had a feeling the minute he said that, he was jinxing himself. People turned to regard him and Chloe and he shrank down in his seat. Maybe if he was really careful, they wouldn't notice him? Or maybe they'd just continue doing whatever it was they were doing and ignore them?

"It's them!" someone shouted and it took Timmy a few seconds to recognize the voice. Trixie Tang was selling him out? She appeared behind a stack of books with a faerie on a leash floating next to her. Of course, it was a snooty looking faerie, probably a pedigree if there was such a thing.

"The kids from the posters!" Tad added and Chloe fell beneath the table to crawl on the floor to reduce visibility.

"Back off!" Tootie snapped. Of the kids gathered, including all the popular kids and the semi-popular ones, she was the only one without a faerie. "Timmy, come with me."

Chloe got up too, hastening to Tootie's side. Tootie narrowed her eyes.

"Not you," she said flatly. She shoved Chloe into Trixie's path, grabbed Timmy's hand, and tugged him along before he had a chance to fight her. He glanced back, where the popular kids were converging on Chloe. And the not so popular kids. And his friends. He strained, digging his heels in, but Tootie was stronger than she looked. No matter how hard he attempted to stymie her, she just ran roughshod over him.

"Enjoy imprisonment and possible death, Chloe Carmichael!" Tootie called over her shoulder. "That's what you get for taking away my Timmy!"

"You can't leave her like that!" Timmy protested. "She's my best friend!"

"That's funny, because I thought Chester and AJ were your best friends," Tootie snapped. "Do you want to be rescued or not?"

"I can't just let them tear her apart!" he cried.

"And I'm not going to let you go without a fight," she said and snapped her fingers. Timmy slumped, unable to move his arms or legs. He could still talk and breathe, as far as he could tell, but his body had gone leaden. She hauled him along and he couldn't turn his head, couldn't see what was happening, but he could hear Chloe calling for him. It wrenched his heart.

"Chloe!" he called and Tootie rolled her eyes.

"So, what is she? Like, your god-sister or something?" she asked. "Step-god-sister? How does that even work?"

"How do you even know…" he stopped.

"Didn't you wonder why I'm the only kid who _doesn't_ have a fairy slave?" she huffed. "Honestly, Timmy, you're so dense sometimes."

He didn't know what to say to that either. She continued dragging him along until they reached her house, which looked as decrepit as Crocker's. What the hell? She flung him down onto the couch, barricaded the door, and put her hands on her hips. Somehow, she'd managed to drag him across town without moving more than five feet. That was impressive. And impossible without magic.

"I see the wheels turning in that head," she said, rolling her eyes again. "Yes to whatever you're thinking."

"Can you free me?" he huffed.

"Not until I'm sure you won't go after Carmichael," she shot back.

"Dude, what is your deal with her?" he said. "She's my best friend. She's my next door neighbor. Are you jealous?"

"Of course I'm jealous!" she snarled. "You won't give me the time of day but you give her all of your attention! Perfect Chloe. Smart Chloe. Teacher's pet Chloe."

"She wasn't a teacher's pet today," he pointed out.

"It was an off day," Tootie remarked. She folded her arms across her chest and then sat beside Timmy on the couch. "Besides, I can help you find Cosmo and Wanda."

At his expression, she added, "It's not that big a secret if you keep screaming about it to everyone. Plus, Crocker exposed them right after he changed the world."

"You can help me find them, at Chloe's expense," he said flatly.

"Let's face it. Who else do you have to turn to?" she asked. "And I sacrificed Chloe for the greater good. She would have done the same thing to save you."

"That doesn't mean you had to throw her to the wolves," he snapped.

"Do you have a crush on her?" Tootie said, changing the subject so quickly Timmy thought he was going to get whiplash.

She growled at him. Apparently, his hesitation was answer enough. Her eyes narrowed and she put her hands on her hips.

"That's why I did it. Because you won't even look at me with her in the picture. I'm always competing with someone smarter and prettier. Okay, maybe Trixie isn't _smarter_ , but she's definitely prettier. And Veronica has a crush on you too. It's like you could have your own harem. And I'm not even counting Cindy Vortex, because she's not in this universe, thank God.

"I'm the only one who can help you find Cosmo and Wanda because I'm the only one who has powers and isn't bound by some stupid human. I slipped through the cracks."

She stood up and offered him her hand. He didn't take it and she frowned.

"I'm your only chance of finding Cosmo and Wanda before Crocker decides to finish them off," she said quietly. "You know they're in danger the longer they're near him. Or Kevin."

Timmy wasn't gratified to have his opinion of Kevin Crocker validated.

"I promise once we find your godparents, I'll rescue Chloe, okay?" she said. "No harm, no foul."

"Why should you rescue her? You just admitted you hate her."

"But I love you," she said and then pulled a face. "And you like her, so that means I have to play nice. She was just a distraction so I could get you away."

"If she's not okay, I'm blaming you for it," he snapped.

Veronica had bound and gagged Chloe while some less popular kid jabbed at the blonde girl to make her walk. It was a rather sharp spear, too, so if Chloe didn't watch her step, she'd end up getting scratched or worse. Veronica found she didn't feel sorry for her. Like Tootie, she considered Chloe competition and, like Tootie, she resented how much time Timmy spent with Chloe. Plus, who cared if she was a little roughed up? It wasn't like Timmy was swooping in to save her.

She snorted and shoved Chloe between the shoulder blades.

"Hey, Carmichael," she said casually. "Thanks for this utopia. It's a shame you won't be able to use it, though."

Chloe fixed her a dirty look and the not so popular kid behind her jabbed her with the spear hard enough for blood to materialize and soak Chloe's shirt. Veronica grimaced. Loser blood. Besides, the jab had caused Chloe to scream before she'd stopped herself and her eyes shone with tears again. If Veronica were sadistic, she might've prodded Chloe's wound to deepen it.

That was Vicky's job, though. Vicky was Crocker's chief enforcer and torturer. She'd have a good time with Carmichael, Veronica guaranteed it.

They walked all over town, the unpopular kid occasionally jabbing Chloe to spur her on or just because she wanted to deepen the wound. Tears slipped down Chloe's cheeks and the entire back of her shirt was now soaked in blood. She was stumbling, losing her balance from blood loss.

"Enough," Trixie snapped beside Veronica. "I'm not carrying some loser girl to the palace. Leave her alone."

The rest of the walk proceeded in silence; the unpopular kid was now forced to help Chloe walk, though she did so by as minimal touching as possible. They brought her to Crocker's doorstep, waited to be admitted, and then walked through the ornate palace, which Veronica barely glanced at. It wasn't important to her how many polished works of art he had or how long his marble hallways were. It definitely didn't impress her how many vases were on pedestals or the countless faerie servants dusting, cleaning, and slaving away for him.

"You've brought me the wrong one," Crocker snapped when they entered his throne room. The floor was so clean that they could see their reflections. "What am I supposed to do with her?"

"That's not my problem," Trixie said. "Where's our reward?"

She nodded and the unpopular girl released Chloe to fling her to the floor. Chloe yelped, landing on her hands and knees, and straightened to stand with difficulty. Veronica almost pitied her. She had to be in a lot of pain.

"Reward, reward…" Crocker mused and Chloe swayed on her feet.

"Ah, yes. You and your group are not to be bothered by my faerie enforcers and are allowed one rule free wish per person," he said. Trixie smirked, apparently pleased with this, and drew Veronica and the others away when Crocker dismissed them. Veronica chanced one last look back at Chloe. She'd fallen to her knees again and blood slicked the tiles.

"And get someone to clean this mess up and heal her," Crocker scoffed. "She's no use to me if she can't tell me where Turner is. Or Kevin, for that matter."

So Kevin was missing too? Interesting. Maybe there'd be another reward out for him. And if Veronica and Trixie found Timmy first, they wouldn't need to turn him in. They could keep him all to themselves.

-

Chloe swayed as the faeries brought her to a bathing area to clean up. She had a hard time taking off her shirt, because it was stuck to her skin. Once she had, the faerie waved her wand and she was healed, albeit in a different outfit. This outfit was all black and somehow conveyed submission. She twisted her neck to spy "property of Denzel Crocker" on the back.

Timmy was with Tootie, Kevin was missing in action, and who knew where Cosmo and Wanda had gone off to? Even if her back no longer ached, she felt phantom pains and touched the spot where the kid had scored her.

She was worried about everyone, far more concerned about them than she was about herself. Sighing, she let the faeries convey her to a posh living area and then lock her in. There were bars on the windows. It was a gilded prison and contained a large bookcase, a plush bed with many pillows, a wardrobe, and an attached bathroom. There were also security cameras in the bedroom, though not in the bathroom.

She had to figure out a way out of this. And it looked like she'd have to do it herself, too, because no one was going to help her.

"One more thing," Crocker announced, using the faerie who had escorted her in as a megaphone. It had popped back in briefly. "Keep her sedated. I don't want her getting any ideas."

"No, wait, I don't— "she started, but it was too late. The needle headed straight for her arm and while she normally thought sedation was supposed to be peaceful, this burned through her body and left her light-headed before she collapsed onto the floor.


	2. Chapter 2

Chloe awoke in stages, her blood and body sluggish. She came to herself to discover iron restraints around her wrists, about her neck, and around her ankles. The cold metal pressed into her feverish skin and she assessed her surroundings. Aside from the uncomfortable wooden chair she sat upon, the room possessed no other furniture. She shifted her head to the side and saw on a wall a large array of torture devices, including lethal looking knives and blades.

The room was no larger than a closet and reeked of blood, urine, and sweat. Her nose wrinkled at the smell. Her head pounded and she was uncertain whether it was an aftereffect of her mistreatment or the room's stench. It could have been both. She wished she'd thought to take a hairpin with her to pick the locks, but good girls didn't pick locks and anyway, she didn't know how to free herself. Timmy might have, but he wasn't here. She didn't know where Tootie had secreted him.

The door opened and a figure stood framed in the dim light. Throat tight, she judged the figure to be about five foot eight with a ponytail and combat boots (their spikes shone with iridescent blood). The figure stepped through and shut the door behind them. Chloe hazarded a guess on who it was, but hoped she was wrong. Timmy had said Vicky tortured people; at the time, she had thought he'd been speaking metaphorically.

"Hello, twerpette," Vicky said, dispelling any futile faith. She locked the door behind her, but where could Chloe go?

"Huh, seems like I forgot to clean the chair after the last faerie I tortured," Vicky commented. "Oh well."

Too many questions vied for space in Chloe's mind. She squirmed and the clasps held tight. Some poor innocent creature had suffered in here and she wasn't about to let that injustice pass. She cleared her throat and Vicky snorted, slamming a knife blade first down between Chloe's legs. Chloe shuddered, blue eyes wide with apprehension.

"Crocker wants you in one piece, go figure," she mused. "I can't kill you, but I can inflict a great deal of pain. After all, we have faeries to heal you."

"Whatever you want to know, I'm not telling you," Chloe retorted. Vicky extracted her knife and slid the edge along Chloe's neck. Chloe found herself watching the blade's trajectory as it cut a thin line along her skin and blood pooled. It occurred to Chloe there was a wide range between "not killing someone" and "inflicting a lot of pain". Also, she wasn't sure her pain threshold and this wasn't something she'd been keen to have tested.

"Oh, you will," the older girl sneered. "And even if you don't, I intend to torture you to within an inch of your life, so I win either way. Either you tell me what I want to know and I stop or you don't tell me and you scream. I love it when they scream."

"There must be something else you want," she begged. "I can help you without your resorting to torture."

"Oh, I'm not _resorting_ to it," Vicky rejoined. "I'm relishing every second of it."

She twirled the blade and removed it from Chloe's neck. Instead, she placed it underneath Chloe's thumbnail. Dread coiled in Chloe's stomach and she jerked away, but the restraints held firm. The knife bit into the flesh beneath her nailbed.

"I've never tried this before," she mused. "I wonder how it'll go."

"How what will go?" she asked, almost afraid to find out. In response, Vicky placed the knife onto a small table on Chloe's side and extracted from her torture kit a set of pliers. Chloe's heart beat doubled and her head swam. She struggled and Vicky watched, dispassionate.

"I've always wanted to pull fingernails. I hear it's _excruciating_."

"You don't need to do this," Chloe whispered.

"I do. You're not going to tell me where the twerp is, are you?" she asked and, before Chloe had a chance to respond, she tugged on her thumbnail with the pliers. Chloe yelped, attempting to back up, but she had nowhere to go. She panted and Vicky tugged again. Chloe loosed a quiet scream. Blood welled beneath the nailbed and dripped down her thumb.

"Please. You don't need to do this."

Vicky stared at her and appraised her for a minute. Chloe's thumbnail throbbed and it felt like her existence had shrunk down to that singular agony. She whimpered and Vicky slammed her fist down on Chloe's injured nail. She screamed and Vicky cackled.

"The walls are soundproof. Scream all you want, twerpette. No one will hear you. And even if someone did, who would care?" she sneered.

"I don't know where Timmy is," she gasped. She wasn't sure she could hold up under torture. Plus, it was the truth. She had no idea where Tootie had sequestered him. He could be anywhere in town or even outside of it. Chloe bit back a sob. Vicky jeered and brought the pliers' edge down upon her nail. Chloe jerked again, yelling herself hoarse, and tears slipped down her cheeks.

"It doesn't matter," she said. "Crocker gave you to me for an afternoon. He wanted to know where Timmy is, but if you don't _know_ …I still have the afternoon."

She brought the pliers to bear beneath Chloe's thumbnail again and yanked, this time tearing the nail out of its bed. Chloe howled, biting her lip and tasting tears. Her vision swam and her breath hitched with sobs. She could taste blood, too, its metallic flavor filling her mouth. Blood poured from her wound and joined the sparkling blood on the chair.

"I don't know where he is! I don't know! Just stop!" she pleaded. She could feel the rough wood beneath her fingers and it grew slick. Vicky had ceased cackling and was standing there, watching Chloe's suffering. Timmy was right. Vicky was a monster. And Tootie had fed her to her. A very small part of Chloe, the part she seldom acknowledged because it was wrong to give into it, sparked back to life. She found herself _loathing_ Vicky and the hatred turned into a hot ball in her chest. She didn't blame Tootie, not entirely, but Vicky, on the other hand, had no motives that could be considered pure or selfless. Chloe was sobbing so hard she was choking on her tears.

"As fascinating as it would be to pull all your nails out and leave you a sobbing mess, I have something else in mind," Vicky said and turned away to regard her torture rack again. Chloe was close to hyperventilating, her breaths coming in gasps. She found herself begging in her mind, as she knew speaking aloud would produce nothing. Cosmo and Wanda weren't going to come to rescue her. She needed to save _them_. And there were no other faeries she knew who could help, not if they were magically compelled to serve humans.

Humans. Vicky wasn't human.

Vicky was fiddling with something beneath the table now and produced a small box with wires attached. Chloe was about to hyperventilate, especially as Vicky plugged the device in and then strapped the pliers to Chloe's fingers, one plier on each hand.

"Don't you have a heart?" she pleaded. "A sense of decency? A shred of compassion?"

"Nope, used it up a long time ago," she replied and then turned on the machine. White hot agony swarmed up Chloe's body and she blacked out for a few seconds, the pain was so intense. It hadn't helped that Vicky had clamped the electric prods next to her injured thumb.

Chloe screamed until her voice grew hoarse and she trembled, sobbing and panting. She was terrified, unable to think with the pain suffusing her body. It felt like every cell was on fire and burned a swath through her frame. Just when Chloe got her breath back, Vicky turned the machine back on.

Her head felt like someone had driven a sledgehammer into it. The electricity assaulted her body like thousands of boiled needles entering her skin. She felt warmth but didn't look down, uncertain whether it was blood or if she'd wet herself in terror. Vicky snorted again.

"They always do that."

Chloe lifted her head and spat in Vicky's face. It was petty defiance and she knew she'd pay for it. "I didn't even…I didn't even… _do_ anything to you."

"It's more like your existence bugs me," she said. "You make the twerp happy. That's a problem. I'm remedying it. As for his other friends—as soon as I find them, they'll get the same treatment. I'm an equal opportunity offender."

Vicky twisted the knob on the device and amplified the electricity. Chloe blacked out for longer this time and when she came to, she couldn't stop quivering. She smelled burnt hair and Vicky loosened the restraints. Chloe collapsed to the floor; the planking was tough against her skin and she might've accumulated splinters. She was panting, sobs mixing with blood mixing with other fluids best left unidentified.

"Guess you really didn't know anything. Oh, well. I'll let Crocker question you later. Someone else will clean up this mess. I'm getting lunch. Torturing people always gives me an appetite."

Lunch? Oh god, that was right, she'd skipped lunch to grab Cosmo and Wanda. That hadn't worked and she hadn't eaten, but she didn't want anything now. Instead, she curled into a ball, or attempted to, but her body wouldn't cooperate. Instead, she shuddered, her limbs twitching uncontrollably. What if no one came? What if Vicky just left her here like this?

She started to call for help before remembering that the walls were soundproof. If no one came, she'd have to drag herself out. Vicky had already vacated and left the door unlocked. Of course, she'd have to have her fine motor skills to crawl through. Right now, she had no motor skills whatsoever.

She prayed someone would find her and heal her. She also prayed Timmy would come for her and, contradictorily, that he wouldn't. She didn't want him to endure this. Hell, _she_ didn't want to endure this.

"Cosmo…Wanda…" she whimpered and burst into tears anew. What was happening to them? Even in her dire state, she worried about their fate.

Crocker didn't know who Kevin thought he was fooling. As soon as he could, he'd implemented cameras all over Dimmsdale, just to keep track of ne'er do wells and idiots like Turner. Unfortunately, the cameras had limitations. He couldn't put them up in private residences, for example, and while he was supreme leader of the world, the police insisted that he couldn't have cameras near traffic recorders. He still had to answer to the police and the local militia, which was ridiculous, but at least they all knew faeries were real now. No one was calling him a delusional crackpot.

Unfortunately, the downside to having cameras was he couldn't watch them all at once. He had delegated responsibility for surveying the town to various faeries, but he couldn't trust their loyalties. Therefore, he perched in front of the cameras and watched, scanning each one in turn.

He was also awaiting Vicky's results. While he didn't hate Chloe, not the way he loathed Turner, he looked forward to seeing if Vicky had produced anything viable. And the faeries would heal Chloe. He wished he could say that appeased him, but Vicky's methods were unsettling. Plus, he didn't want to see Chloe injured. She wasn't that bad a kid, even if she'd thrown her lot in with Turner.

He was thinking contradictory thoughts, especially compared to earlier. There was a difference between sending her to the principal's office and giving her to Vicky. Principal Waxelplax would lecture her. He didn't have to be present to know Chloe was screaming from Vicky's ministrations.

He clicked over to the torture room anyway and spied Chloe panting on the floor on her stomach. His heart tugged and he clicked away, attempting to locate Kevin instead. It shouldn't have been too difficult. He snapped his fingers to command another faerie to him.

"You—find Kevin. My nephew," he said and then gave the faerie a look that said he thought the faerie deeply stupid. The black haired, purple eyed muscular faerie flexed and shot him back a nasty look.

"Pick up a latte while you're out," Crocker ordered and the faerie vanished. Something about him struck him as familiar, but he couldn't place where. Eh, probably wasn't important.

Scanning the screens once more, he saw nothing interesting and he refused to look at Chloe. It no longer felt like March 15th because he had power and the world at his feet. His customary resentment had abated.

He snapped his fingers again and a different faerie answered his beck and call. She had curly pink and brown hair and her nostrils flared at Crocker. She wore a loose-fitting t-shirt and black jeans.

"You. See to the girl," he said. He pointed toward the screen and the faerie's eyes followed his. She trembled for a second and then, under her breath but still audible, the faerie growled, " _Monster_."

He wasn't a monster. He had an efficient world-view and loyal subjects. So what if he'd enslaved a whole group of supernatural creatures. They answered to human children anyway. What was the difference if they now responded to everyone? Nothing. And they didn't have feelings and suffer the way humans did. They were inferior in every way.

He had work to do, since Vicky hadn't appeared yet. Perhaps she was taking time to wash off the blood. There'd been so much…his stomach wrenched. Was this remorse? Did he regret dragging her off to that butcher? Did he really expect Chloe to rat out her best friend?

He shook his head at himself. It was better to worry about other things. Managing an empire took a lot of resources and manpower, after all. And faerie power.

-

Kevin knew that his uncle had posted cameras everywhere in town, but he also knew where he hadn't. However, he had no idea where to locate Chloe or Timmy. Cosmo and Wanda were little help, because the butterfly net sapped their strength and they'd been weakened already thanks to Crocker. Sympathetic, he paid for a backpack to stow them so they didn't need to ride around in the modern equivalent of cold iron.

"Better?" he asked.

"Better," Wanda said, swallowing a dry heave. Her belch, which she excused herself for, was wet and Kevin winced.

"I know where Timmy isn't," Cosmo announced. "Man, did Crocker wish the world would spin? Because boy is my head spinning."

"That's the dizziness talking, hon," Wanda said. To Kevin, she said, "We can rule out the bookstore and the library. Or anything that involves books."

A Jumbo-tron nearby stirred to life, startling the trio. In addition to his cameras, Crocker had placed TVs in strategic locations throughout the town. His grim façade filled the screen and Cosmo and Wanda hissed, reaching for each other and intertwining their fingers. He moved closer to her so that their heads were together.

"I know you're scared," she whispered. "I am too."

"The hunt for Chloe Carmichael is over," he announced. "Timmy Turner remains on the loose, as well as his other friends. The rewards will be increased for whomever finds all of them. Also, anyone who turns in my nephew Kevin will be amply rewarded."

Kevin frowned. "Do you think Chloe's okay?"

Vicky appeared then, dragging Chloe into the room by her hair. Though the girl looked physically fine, her eyes were glassy and she didn't fight her captor. Vicky laughed, tossing Chloe at Crocker's feet. Crocker winced and, again, the faeries hissed.

"I don't know what she did to her, but she did something," Wanda growled.

Chloe regained her footing and stood. When she saw Vicky, the color drained from her face and she retreated, bumping into Crocker. Discovering her proximity to him, she scooted away and hugged herself. She looked like she'd seen a ghost and her lower lip quivered. She was so pale she could've been a spirit herself.

"As you can see, Chloe is perfectly fine," Crocker said. "I'll take good care of her, just like I will of Turner."

"No, he won't!" Chloe burst out. Vicky backhanded her and then grabbed her by the throat. Cosmo and Wanda pushed at the backpack's sides like they would run to her side. He could feel the tension in their bodies.

Chloe struggled, kicking Vicky in the chest and winning free. She landed on her feet and grabbed a wand from a nearby faerie with pink and brown hair. It almost looked like the faerie had handed it to her, but Kevin had to be mistaken. Chloe snarled, raising the wand in front of her.

"Put that down," Vicky said, sounding almost bored.

"This broadcast is over," Crocker announced and shut the screen off.

"No!" Cosmo and Wanda cried in unison. "Bring it back!"

If Chloe was in the palace, then he ought to help her. Unfortunately, that meant abandoning his quest to locate Timmy. He was also reticent to return Cosmo and Wanda to his uncle when he might harm them again or worse. Torn, he glanced at the faeries.

"What should I do? Should I go after Timmy or help Chloe?" he asked, anxious.

"We don't know where Timmy is," Wanda pointed out. She was trembling and clinging to her husband. Cosmo wrapped his arms around her and rested his head against hers again.

"And whatever Chloe's doing, you won't get to her in time," Cosmo added.

They were right. He gnawed his lower lip. Chloe might be beyond his help at that point, but Timmy had to be free, right? Crocker had admitted as much. Shifting the backpack, he set off down the street.

"Where would Timmy be?"

"Uh, not at Vicky's house?" Cosmo suggested.

"Since Vicky isn't there, he could be," Wanda replied. "But that means he'd be with Tootie…"

Kevin know of Tootie, but hadn't met her. It was the same way he knew of Trixie and the popular kids. They didn't run in the same circles—Tootie didn't run in circles at all. She was as much a social pariah as he was.

"But why would he do that?" Cosmo asked.

Wanda had no answer and nor, for that matter, did Kevin. He needed a direction, though, lest he wander aimlessly and get caught. He glanced at the faeries in the hopes they might provide some help. He wasn't giving up on them.

"Where should I go?" he asked, desperate. "C'mon, you know more than me."

"We don't have our wands," she protested. "But…"

"But?" Kevin was hanging on her every word.

"I think I might be able to figure out where he could've gone…"

-

In the heat of the moment, Timmy had forgotten that he had shards of glass in his hand. In hindsight, this might've been a mistake, because he was bleeding again and the shards ground against each other. Gritting his teeth, he listened to Tootie detail Crocker's basic operations. He was trying not to cry out in pain, but damn, some of those shards had been big.

"Timmy? Timmy, you're bleeding!" Tootie cried, dismayed. She seized his hand, which was a mistake because it only pressed the shards in tighter. He yelped, yanking back his hand and leaving blood on her palm.

"I can heal you," she reassured him. "You have to trust me."

Reluctant to trust her more, he nonetheless proffered his hand. Faerie dust rained down upon his hand and it warmed, the shards slid out. Tootie collected them and then disposed of them while Timmy flexed his whole again hand. He had a newfound appreciation for her talents. She did that without a wand, too. Or was her wand concealed somewhere? Oh, well, didn't matter.

The TV went on in the living room and both children turned to face it. Throughout Crocker's presentation, Timmy watched Chloe. She bore no obvious torture marks, but something was off about her, regardless. Tootie watched Chloe with narrowed eyes and hissed, attempting to shut off the transmission. However, whatever means Crocker had of seizing control prevented the TV from turning off.

When it finally went dark, Tootie folded her arms across her chest.

"Right. That was a thing that happened," she snapped. "We need to find Cosmo and Wanda. And probably Kevin too, because if he's harboring them, his uncle will find out soon enough."

"How do you suggest we do that?" he asked.

Tootie shut her eyes and brought out a wand which glowed inside her fist. "This might take a little doing. I'm not used to locating people."

"Where did you get that?"

"Cosmo," Tootie snorted. "That idiot leaves his wands lying everywhere. He forgets where he puts one and just grabs another. That old toy box I have is full of them, fake and real."

Well, that was disconcerting. She seized his hand again and interlaced their fingers. The wand glowed and they disappeared in a cloud of fairy dust. Unlike Cosmo and Wanda's transportation, which was instantaneous, this took a few seconds. They seemed to hover in her house before reappearing on the street.

Kevin was casting his gaze about and staring, wide-eyed, at the cameras on the streets. Tootie sighed, snapping her fingers at him. He jumped, startled, looking like a cornered animal. Cosmo and Wanda stuck out of his backpack.

"Got it right on the first shot," Tootie said. "Good for me."

She said this in a tone that indicated no one else would find this remarkable. Cosmo and Wanda, in the middle of crying Timmy's name, paused. Their eyes flicked to Tootie and both frowned. They didn't look like they were about to thank her for bringing Timmy to them.

"Hey, that's one of my lost wands," Cosmo said.

"You leave your wands lying about?" Wanda snapped.

"Don't be too hard on him, Wanda," Tootie soothed. "If he hadn't, I would never have discovered I'm part faerie."

"Which part?" Cosmo asked, easily distracted by the subject change. Wanda was not led astray. She fixated upon Tootie, who, to her credit, bore it well. Timmy hadn't realized that Tootie could be strong when she wanted to be, or was this a recent development? Had she changed since the last time they'd interacted? Had this come about because Vicky had been around Tootie more and she'd needed a way to defend herself? Or because she'd found a means to do so.

"Never mind that," Wanda said. She still looked suspicious. "You have his eyes."

"Whose eyes?" Cosmo asked. Timmy wanted to know too. Kevin gawked at all of them.

"We can discuss this later," Wanda snapped, remembering Kevin's presence. "We need to get off the streets before Crocker's cameras catch us."

"Or we could stay here and wait for his militia for angry and dangerous faeries to apprehend us," Cosmo suggested.

"I don't think so, Cosmo," Timmy said. He turned to Tootie. "Back to your house?"

"We'll need to come up with a plan, but, yeah, back to my house," she said. She frowned. "I'm not sure I can take all of you. Just you was hard enough, Timmy. But you, Kevin, Cosmo, and Wanda might be too much."

"Especially for a rogue, untrained half-faerie," Wanda agreed. "Do you have any extra wands lying about?'

"You don't have enough magic left to poof us anywhere, do you?" Timmy asked urgently. He'd seen how Crocker had drained them before. Part of him wanted to hug his faeries to him and keep them from doing anything, even as miniscule as teleportation.

"We might," Wanda said, casting a quick glance at Cosmo.

"We don't actually know," Cosmo chirped. "Either we get to where we're going or we don't! Russian Roulette!"

Timmy's stomach clenched. Tootie's frown deepened and she fiddled with her stolen wand. The atmosphere was tense and his mouth dried out.

"Doesn't Russian Roulette usually end with someone dead?" Timmy said weakly.

"Yep," Cosmo confirmed.

"Then this is a terrible idea," he said. "I can't risk you guys, but if Tootie isn't strong enough…"

"Oh, just give me the damn wand," Wanda snapped, startling them with her abrupt command and her mild language. Tootie handed it over.

"This is a bad idea," he said. "Aren't _you_ usually the one who says that?"

"Sport, the longer we stay here, the greater chance we have of Crocker finding us. Except for Tootie, all of us are on his list," she reminded him. "And you're public enemy number one, especially now that he's captured Chloe."

"I'm always public enemy number one when it comes to Crocker," he muttered.

Wanda squeezed the wand and they disappeared. In Timmy's head, he thought he heard a gunshot going off. Then again, maybe that was just Cosmo's reference to Russian Roulette. He clenched his eyes shut and waited. This was taking far longer than usual, even longer than Tootie's poof.

Wanda had once said it took a lot of power to bring someone to Fairy World. This wasn't the same, just moving around on Earth, but if Cosmo and Wanda were drained nearly to death, then this might be almost the same.


	3. Chapter 3

Crocker was pissed off and when he was pissed off and had power to enact his wishes, bad things tended to happen. They still hadn't located Kevin or Turner and Chloe's little insurrection had nearly cost them dearly. It had taken five faeries to knock her out and Vicky was currently teaching her a lesson about insubordination. Again. Chloe didn't learn her lessons very well, did she? That was a shame, for such a bright student.

However, he had other problems. _Someone_ had lent Chloe their wand. That someone was in a great deal of trouble. Unfortunately, with all the magic flying, Crocker could pinpoint the faeries in the room, not who had cast what. Six faeries stood before him and none of them would confess to loaning the girl their wand. One of them was lying. None of them would cast a truth spell.

He threatened to bring them before Vicky. Though they quavered, they did not break. They were protecting someone. Why? They were slaves and should not have free will. Moreover, they were subordinates of his; they answered to him.

Infuriated, he realized he would have to compel them. Flicking the switch on his magical receiver, he watched it drain one of the male faeries standing before him. There were three males and two females, including one with pink and brown hair whose brown eyes anchored on him hatefully. Was that the one he had sent to heal Chloe? He couldn't remember. They were interchangeable, weren't they?

The male whose magic he drained collapsed to the marble floor with a crack. Crocker checked that it wasn't the floor that had cracked before shrugging and turning to the others. He let his slave's magic enrich him and rounded on the four remaining creatures. None of them would meet his gaze save that female.

He crooked his finger and his magic drew her to him. She trembled but held her ground. He could respect that, even if he didn't respect faeries in general.

"What is your name, little faerie?" he demanded. Her lips trembled and she held her tongue. Injecting himself with more magic, he willed her lips and mouth to form words. Her eyes blazed. It should have been simple. It should have been a question of divining which one of them lacked a wand. Someone had remedied that before he could find out. They all had wands now, even the drooling idiot on the floor.

"My name is Magdalene," she said, the words escaping through clenched teeth.

"I could do anything I wanted to you. You know that, right?"

She didn't answer. If she hadn't answered to him, the loathing in her expression would have eviscerated him. He was impressed that such a small creature could harbor such dark emotions. He almost felt a kinship with her until he remembered her inferiority.

"Why don't you make this easier on both of us and tell me who gave Chloe a wand?" he suggested.

He spoke like this was a reasonable request. Vicky slipped back into the room and she had bloodstains on her smock. Crocker's stomach twisted and he surveyed Magdalene anew before glancing back at Vicky. Blood and blonde hair, he could see it glinting under the lights.

"I can force you to tell the truth," he snapped. "All I need to do is snap my fingers."

"I know," she ground out.

"Louder."

"I know what you can do. I'm not afraid. I have endured worse."

Crocker's gaze switched between his torturer and the faerie he had compelled to his side. He tilted her chin this way and that to inspect it and see whether he could verify the truth without demanding a confession. He sensed this faerie was obstinate and, with an effort, he wrenched his gaze away to contemplate the other faeries, watching apprehensively.

"Why are you doing this?" he growled. "All to protect a single child? What's so special about her? Tell me!"

"We have sworn to protect and care for children, regardless of whose they are," Magdalene said. "Your changing the universe has not altered our personalities. None of us will tell you who gave Chloe a wand unless you wring it from us."

"I can help," Vicky offered and her eyes gleamed maliciously. "They'll be begging for salvation by the time I'm done."

She advanced until she reached the throne and then took her place at his left side as his chief adviser. His system was a little screwed up, but that was what you got when you changed the world in a blink of an eye. He'd never been particularly enamored of Vicky before, but he had to admit she was thorough. Against his will, he stared at her smock again. His stomach clenched and he thought he might heave.

He was almost tempted to let this slide. It wasn't that he condoned letting mistakes slip through his fingers, but he hadn't wanted Vicky to harm Chloe in such an obvious manner. Psychological torture was one thing, but the teenager had obviously surpassed that.

The longer he hesitated, the more they would take advantage of it. A prisoner could not be permitted to carry a weapon. Moreover, she had demolished part of the throne room before being apprehended, even if it had taken little effort to repair the damage. He had to be quick and decisive.

If he deferred to Vicky, then she'd assume all the power. Also, he knew what her answer would be. She would torture the faeries for the hell of it. No, he needed someone else to speak with, someone who might be able to settle this. Unfortunately, Kevin was still at large and he doubted he'd advocate for hurting faeries. Crocker steepled his fingers beneath his chin.

"Take her and see if she talks," he instructed Vicky and Vicky grinned, skipping as she swung a butterfly net over Magdalene to prevent her escape. Magdalene whimpered and Vicky cackled, running off with her prize. Crocker's stomach gave another unpleasant heave. He wouldn't check on the girl. He wouldn't even think about her. Out of sight, out of mind. If he didn't think about what Vicky had subjected her to, it was like it hadn't happened.

"Don't cause any permanent injuries!" he warned as Vicky darted out of the throne room. He wasn't sure she heard him or, if she had, whether she would pretend she hadn't later when questioned.

Rounding on the other faeries, he returned to questioning them. Within five minutes, it grew apparent that this was fruitless. None of them would speak unless compelled and all of them denied giving Chloe ammunition. Likely, Magdalene was the inciter. He couldn't trust her to heal Chloe without attempting to undermine him. She would have to be dismissed with extreme prejudice and then placed on an auction block to see if anyone would want her, which was doubtful.

His mood dark again, he appraised what he had and how far he had come. Pulling out his phone, he flicked through Dimmsdale's streets to ascertain whether Kevin had appeared. He hadn't; Crocker suspected an underground route beneath the houses to aid and abet criminals. He would have to investigate this and damn it, the obvious person would have been Kevin, if Kevin hadn't betrayed him.

He massaged his temples and dismissed the faerie guards. Kevin would argue for clemency. Ruthlessness was in his blood and he refused to acquiesce to it. What use did Crocker have for a disobedient nephew, particularly if he had allied himself with Crocker's enemies?

The next best steps would be to consolidate his power and then march on Fairy World. Once he possessed all the power Fairy World contained, he would be unstoppable. He foresaw obstacles, but nothing too pressing. After all, he'd advanced this far.

He'd need intel on Fairy World and he regretted dismissing his guards. However, he also needed a breather to contemplate what had transpired so far today. He had commenced as a disgruntled school teacher and now was supreme ruler of Earth. It wasn't bad for a day's work, especially on March 15th. He'd be more proud of himself if it hadn't entailed gruesome consequences.

Drumming his fingers on his throne, he dropped the phone back into his pocket with his free and then snapped his fingers. He'd need someone to brief him on Fairy World before deciding to up his game and he would need to be cautious about who he picked, because there was sedition in his ranks.

He ought to be satisfied with the power he possessed, but those with power always wanted more. He had to prove to the world that not only was he right, but that he'd always been right. He had been destined to rule over them and that faeries were destined to be servants at best. Perhaps it was time to address his nation again. Maybe he could demand an audience this time and show the faeries how useless it was to contemplate fighting him.

-

Chloe stared at herself in the bathroom mirror and ran her fingers over her bald scalp. Tears welled in her eyes and she wiped at them stubbornly. Vicky had shorn off every inch of hair she could find and while Chloe didn't consider herself vain, this stung. It wouldn't be reversed either, because Crocker showed no signs of sending someone in to remedy it.

The shaven hair wasn't the worst of it. She limped from the bathroom and dragged her right leg behind. As she walked, she spread blood across her carpet. Vicky had mangled her right leg and it had transformed into dead weight, so Chloe had to hop when she moved as the right leg was almost useless now. She staggered to her bed and collapsed onto it. Tears pricked the corners of her eyes and her chest heaved with suppressed sobs.

Sharp pain radiated out from her leg and it felt like someone had pressed a hot iron to her skin. With an effort, she dragged herself further onto the bed and winced as she stained the bedsheets. She was so neat and tidy; she would have wanted to clean that up at home. Now she lacked the strength to locate the laundry room, even if she had wanted fresh linens.

"Fuck," she breathed, clenching the sheets and riding out the next wave of pain. Timmy would've been impressed at her obscenity. Her head swam and she sobbed, pressing her face into the pillow. She wanted Cosmo and Wanda, she wanted her parents, she wanted Timmy, and wasn't it a little odd that she wanted her faeries before her parents? What did that say about her?

Chloe twisted to regard her leg and saw the bone protruding. The sight caused her to pass out for a few seconds. She hadn't gotten a good look at her injuries before. There had been too much pain in too short a span to catalog them. Icky Vicky indeed.

She bit into the pillow to suppress a scream when the next wave broke, harder and hotter than before. She ought to be smarter than this. She was Chloe Carmichael and she never took punishment lying down. Nevertheless, the pain rendered thought nigh impossible and robbed her of movement save for squirming.

Someone would have to come and set the leg. Or not. She wasn't sure what Crocker intended with her. She doubted he'd wanted Vicky to contort Chloe as she had. Call her an eternal optimist, but she knew the little good in Crocker that existed would have prevented him from wishing her badly injured.

Something had to give, possibly her. For a while, she let her consciousness glide along with the agony coursing up her leg. She lost track of time and her gaze unfocused.

Sometime later, Vicky unlocked her door and slammed it open. Chloe moaned, pushing off the bed and then landing on her bad leg. She howled and Vicky's eyes gleamed. Her apron had sparkling blood adorning it and she hauled Chloe to her feet. Unfortunately, her leg would not bear weight and she collapsed back to the floor.

"Am I going to have to carry you, twerpette?" Vicky huffed, disgusted.

No, she didn't want her touching her, much less parading her through the palace. The teenager debated this and then flung Chloe over her shoulder in a move that jarred her leg again. Chloe screamed and Vicky punched her in the head.

"Shut up," she snapped. "Either you be quiet until I bring you in front of the cameras or I will keep hitting you until you do. You don't have to be conscious for this to work."

Then, without further explanation, Vicky stomped down the hall. Every movement jostled Chloe and she bit her lower lip hard enough to produce blood to prevent from screaming. She had to be chary, however, of gnawing through her lip. Every time Vicky slammed her heels, Chloe came perilously close to biting through. She was suppressing sobs because the pain was excruciating. She kept blacking out and returning to herself only to black out again.

Vicky opened a door where numerous cameras focused on two chairs. Flinging Chloe down in one, she took the other. She snapped her fingers and a faerie behind a camera turned it on. Chloe was aware that a blood trail ran from the door and then out into the hall. She was also aware, now that she was sitting, that she couldn't bend her right leg at the knee. She told herself that because this was a TV broadcast, she needed to be in control of her emotions. Therefore, it behooved her to calm herself, stop sobbing, and own her pain.

She was still a child and this proved exceedingly difficult. When the camera panned to her, Vicky cleared her throat and started.

"As Mr. Crocker's chief torturer here, I wanted to acquaint all of you with what happens when we have insurrection," Vicky said. "Show the world your leg, Chloe."

Chloe trembled, gripping the seat bottom to gird herself against the pain. Despite her lack of response, the camera panned to Chloe's leg and she fought a whimper. Vicky patted her leg and even the light touch induced agony. Chloe's vision swam and she slumped against the chair. Her fingers slipped in their holds on the plastic chair, which resembled the school chairs.

"As you can see, the subject displays reluctance to do even the simplest task," Vicky crooned. "However, if you nudge her the right way…"

Vicky slammed her fist down on Chloe's right thigh and Chloe screamed, falling sideways out of her chair. She curled up into a ball and her lips trembled. She wasn't even aware she was whispering until Vicky stood over her.

"Stop, stop, stop…" she pleaded.

"She's much more obedient now. Don't want me to do that again, do you, Carmichael?"

Chloe blanched and whimpered, shaking her head so hard that it smacked into the cement floor. She saw stars.

"Just letting you know, especially you, _Turner_ , what'll happen when I get my hands on you. I also wanted to remind you that yes, we _are_ close to finding you. Why not save us the trouble and turn yourselves in?"

"Timmy, don't…" Chloe gasped. "Stay away!"

"Aw, isn't that cute? You're worried about him," Vicky said and then curb stomped her right leg. "How endearing."

Chloe passed out again, the pain too intense to bear. When she awoke, it was on the bed and her right leg was folded under her deliberately. With supreme effort, she shifted it away. The pain was making her queasy now and she leaned over the bed to vomit. Digging her fingers into the mattress, she willed herself not to roll over and fall into it.

She dug her fingers into her right palm until the pain in it overrode her leg. It didn't work for long. Gasping, she fell back against the bed. Her mouth tasted awful and she had the dreadful feeling that Vicky's video had produced the wanted effect. Timmy wouldn't stand idly by and let someone hurt her, would he?

Or would he? She lacked confidence in him, but it might've been the agony talking. The cut on her leg, now that she inspected it again, was a gash and it wept blood. Fuck, fuck, fuck. What if Timmy was so selfish that he would let this slide? But they were best friends. He wouldn't leave her to Vicky's mercy, would he?

She didn't know. That was the worst part. She had no idea what Vicky intended for her or whether Timmy would rescue her. She hadn't considered herself the type of person who needed rescuing, yet here she was, a damsel in distress. It was almost cliché.

Again, she stared at nothing and let time slip away. Faerie dust sprinkled upon her sometime later and then disappeared again. Crocker wasn't healing her. He was going to let her suffer.

She wished she had it in her to resent that, but her entire existence revolved around her leg.

Sometime after the first faerie had disappeared, another one appeared. Juandissimo. She stared at him uncomprehendingly. What was he doing here?

"If I heal Wandita's goddaughter, I will get brownie points with her," Juandissimo said to himself and then added, growling, "If I punish the man who hurt _Wanda_ , I will gain even more brownie points. He had no right to touch mi amor."

Chloe cleared her throat and Juandissimo glanced at her. His brow crinkled with compassion and she wanted to believe he was here for more than to earn Wanda's regard. She had cried so much she had given herself a headache and her throat was dry and hoarse from sobbing and screaming.

"I cannot heal you completely," he warned. "Crocker has not given permission to do so."

He then grumbled in Spanish something that sounded distinctly like obscenities. Chloe was too spent to follow.

"I can, however, splint your leg and enable you to rest."

"Anything…" she rasped and he held up his wand. The bones remained out of place, but a cast materialized on her leg and the pain evaporated. She was pathetically grateful and would have burst into tears again had she had any left.

"Sleep," he bid her and she sank into oblivion, this time without having to worry about anguish on the other side.

-

They didn't land in Tootie's house so much as slam into the floor like a toy a child has carelessly tossed aside. Timmy groaned, hip hurting where it'd struck the floor. The other humans wore similar pained expressions. Kevin was rubbing his head, Tootie her right shoulder, and Cosmo and Wanda, of all of them, had landed on the couch. Timmy glared at them and they smiled, chagrined.

They didn't get a moment to breathe, however. Air raid sirens went off and Timmy clapped his hands over his ears when he stood. What the hell was going on? And why was that godawful noise so loud?

"Everyone, into Vicky's room," Tootie announced and at their blank, incredulous stares, said, "Don't question! No time! Follow me if you don't want to be body scanned!"

"I'm not going anywhere until you tell me how the hell you know all of this about this alternate world that just popped up a few hours ago!" Timmy yelled back.

"Do you _want_ to be captured?" she snapped.

"Of course not," he retorted. She huffed, grabbed him by the hand, and led him toward the stairs. He didn't want to take cover in Vicky's room and he dug in his heels. She got as far as the first stair before she had to halt.

"For god's sake, Timmy!" Tootie snapped.

Timmy glowered, folding his arms over his chest. Kevin stared from one to the other and then, shrugging, vaulted up the stairs. Cosmo and Wanda remained to watch the dynamic.

"How do you know so much?" he demanded.

"I'm part faerie," she growled. "Do we really have to have this conversation now?'

The air raid sirens pounded in the background and he was developing a headache. Did her explanation really suffice? And was he leaving them vulnerable by staying to argue? Huffing, he stormed up the stairs and left the others to scramble after him.

"All the magical creatures know what happened," Tootie continued as they entered Vicky's room. On the outside, it looked normal, except for the dust. Behind a wall switch, however, was pure evil.

"And everyone who has a fairy godparent, like you and Chloe. But the others think what happened today has been going on for a long time," she said.

"And Kevin?" he asked, turning to the other boy as Tootie shut the door.

"I've been running from my uncle for a while," he said. He looked baffled at Tootie's extrapolation. "As far as I know, that's how it's been."

"See?" Tootie said. Once inside the room, the sirens died and Timmy was left with a ringing in his ears. His hip still hurt.

"I don't know if this place is scan proof," Tootie explained. "But if Crocker finds out that we have two faeries with almost no power, he'll know who they are. And he'll figure out who _we_ are because we're nearby."

"Do we have to be in here?" Timmy protested. "It's giving me the creeps."

"My room isn't soundproof," Tootie pointed out.

"Uh, sweetie, I hate to burst your bubble…" Wanda said.

"But we're gonna do it anyway!" Cosmo interrupted.

"But faeries' wands can pierce through rooms," Wanda said. "It doesn't matter where we go if they're searching for us. They can and will locate us."

"And finish what Crocker started," Cosmo said, unexpectedly grim. He and Wanda, who had too little magic to float, were standing and holding hands. It struck Timmy how childlike they looked, standing at about his height and clutching each other.

"You're saying there's nothing we can do? We're sitting ducks?" Timmy objected.

"There isn't _nothing_ …" Wanda demurred. "Tootie has some power."

"We're depending on _Tootie_?" Timmy cried.

"What's the matter with depending on me? Just because I'm not trained doesn't mean I can't help!" she huffed. "Don't you have any faith in me, Timmy Turner?"

"No, not really."

"She's all we've got," Wanda said. "Sport, if we use any more magic…"

"You'll be fine," he said and desperation laced his voice. "You have to be fine. Everything has to be fine. You're my fairy godparents."

"Sometimes the world doesn't work like that," Wanda whispered and a lead weight dropped onto his chest. His eyes stung and he turned away, staring at Vicky's boarded up window. His fists balled and he swallowed a lump in his throat.

"Sometimes the bad guy wins," Tootie murmured.

"I'm not going to let that happen," he snapped. "We have something Crocker wants, right? And he has something we want."

"You're not suggesting trading Kevin for Chloe, are you?" Wanda asked, frowning.

"Even if you were, Vicky wouldn't let Crocker do that," Tootie objected. "Vicky plays for keeps."

"Don't I get a say in this?" Kevin protested.

"Let's see," Timmy said sarcastically. "You get to return to Crocker unscathed and Chloe stops being treated like Vicky's pet rat. What do _you_ think is the better option?"

"But Uncle Denzel doesn't hate Chloe," Kevin said.

"Then why the fuck is he torturing her?" Timmy retorted.

"Language!" Wanda reprimanded. "Sport, we don't actually know if Chloe's being tortured."

"You saw how she looked. Tell me that didn't look like it," he snapped. "I still say we trade Kevin for Chloe."

"Timmy," Tootie said, sounding exasperated. "If we show up at the palace, he'll just capture all of us and to hell with your plan."

"Tootie's right," Wanda added. "We need to come up with a better plan."

"Then what are we supposed to do? Sit here and wait?" he grumbled. "Let ourselves be captured?"

"Maybe if I offer myself to Uncle Denzel, he'll release Chloe anyway?" Kevin suggested, but he didn't look too optimistic.

A TV lowered from the ceiling and Timmy blinked, as did Tootie.

"I don't remember that being there and I've had to clean this stupid room."

After it lowered, it switched on, revealing Vicky and Chloe. Chloe was bleeding from a stab wound on her lower right leg and her leg itself was twisted at an odd angle. Bile rose in Timmy's throat and he glowered at his godmother.

"Not being tortured, huh, Wanda?" he growled.

Timmy watched, stunned, as Vicky delivered her oration and then Chloe passed out from abuse. The redheaded teenager then leaned into the camera and leered at her audience.

"Timmy Turner, I hope you're watching. Because we have faeries and drones in your neighborhood waiting to pick you up right now. You can kiss your girlfriend goodbye."

"She's not my girlfriend!" Timmy said, forgetting that she couldn't hear him.

"We have bigger worries than who you're dating," Tootie said, rolling her eyes. The doorbell rang and they turned to look at each other.

"We can't answer that," Kevin said.

"Duh," Timmy snapped.

"What do we do?" Cosmo asked.

The doorbell rang again and was accompanied by someone pounding on the front door. Hesitant, Tootie opened the door and stuck her head out just as the front door fell off its hinges and landed in the living room. Timmy crept beside Tootie to spy Trixie Tang and Veronica, along with their bodyguard, standing in the house.

"They're not here to help, are they?" Timmy asked Tootie.

"Timmy! Oh, Timmy!" Trixie called.

"Hey, she remembered my name!" Timmy exclaimed.

Tootie facepalmed and muttered something indistinct. She waved her wand and propelled them out the door. She then boarded up the door and moved a dresser in front of it. Her forehead was beaded with sweat and faerie dust flew from her shoulders. He wasn't sure if what she'd done was too difficult or if she was unused to it.

"That won't hold them for long," Tootie said. "And I don't know if I can bring us anywhere else. We're gonna have to stand and fight."

"Against that?" Timmy objected. "We'll get totally crushed! You're the only one with any magic and you're not trained! You said so yourself!

"Besides, maybe they're not against me."

"Timmy, they gladly took Chloe," Tootie remarked. "Just for the reward money. They're rich kids and the only way to make money in this economy is to sell other people out. She's not here out of the goodness of her heart."

"We just want to talk!" Trixie's voice was muffled.

"See? She just wants to talk," he retorted at Tootie.

"Timmy, I don't really know women, but, no woman ever just 'wants to talk'," Cosmo said. "They don't do that."

"Then what do they do?" he asked, turning to his godfather.

"Just shut up before you get yourself killed or captured," Tootie muttered. "Let me handle this."

Before Timmy could shoot her down or defend himself, she vanished and, along with her, their only chance of defense. Aghast, he stared at where she'd been. If Tootie got her ass kicked, they were screwed.

"We're not talking to _you_ ," Trixie proclaimed, disgusted. "We're only talking to Timmy. How the hell did you get out here, anyway?"

Timmy rushed down the stairs before Cosmo and Wanda could stop him and shoved the dresser aside. He then worked on the boards Tootie had erected, but they were nailed down hard. In a puff of fairy dust, he reappeared on the other side. Ow. He'd gotten a splinter trying to take that door down.

"He's here," Tootie said. "He's not going anywhere, especially not with you."

"If you come with us, we'll make it worth your while," Trixie said. She blew him a kiss and Tootie's hand tightened on Timmy's arm. Her nails dug into his skin.

"And keep him and Chloe, right?" Tootie spat. "Along with anyone else you happen upon?"

Trixie snorted. "We don't want Chloe. Vicky can have her."

Although he was normally addled by hormones when it came to Trixie ("my scientific curiosity was aroused" as Jimmy Neutron might've said), Trixie's words pierced the fog. Trixie would've been content to let his best friend die if it meant she had him. Maybe in a weaker moment, he might have forgiven it of her. But he didn't think so. This cut him to the quick.

"And what would you do about Tootie? And Kevin?" he countered.

Trixie's gaze swept over Tootie like she was inconsequential. "Vicky can have her too. She can kill her if she wants. I don't care."

"I do!" he said. "I care what happens to Chloe _and_ Tootie!"

He was stunned to discover this was true. "You can't have either of them! I mean, you already have Chloe, but I'm not going anywhere with you."

"I was afraid you'd say something like that…" Trixie sighed. "I thought maybe your crush on me would make you docile, but it looks like I was wrong. Bodyguard? Get rid of the riffraff and take Timmy."

"Wait. Have you always known my name?" he asked.

"Of course I've known your name," she said, rolling her eyes. "I pretend not to notice you because it's cooler. Are you coming with me or not?"

"No," he said. "You've been lying to me?"

"For fuck's sake, Timmy!" Tootie exploded. "Who cares if she knows your name? I know your name too! So do Cosmo and Wanda! And Kevin! And anyone in our school who wonders why you talk to inanimate objects all the damn time! It's not like it's a special thing that she knows! It's the bare minimum of talking to someone to know their name!"

"Yeah, but…" He had no steam and Tootie ran right over him.

"She's a psychotic bitch who sold out your best friend, would gladly throw me and Kevin to the hounds, and probably hand over Cosmo and Wanda too to let Crocker hurt them all in the interest of furthering her own agenda. The fact that she knows your name is the least fucking important thing in this whole conversation!"

Damn. Oddly, when Tootie was angry, he wasn't reminded of Vicky at all. Tootie had her own incandescent rage.

"You threw Chloe to the wolves too!" he shot back. "These wolves! Right here!"

"I did it to protect you!" she snapped. "Trixie would sell you out if it meant she could get a shiny new pair of shoes!"

"Or I could keep him for myself," Trixie ventured.

"No," Tootie snapped. "I am sick of fighting with you over him. If you cared about him, you wouldn't have your best friend scaling the walls."

Timmy turned and saw, to his consternation, that Tootie was right. The color drained from his face.

"Hey! I thought you were secretly in love with me too!"

"All's fair in love and war, Timmy," Veronica said and Tootie booted her down the siding. Veronica slid to the ground.

"Who do you trust more? Someone who is actively trying to save your hide or someone who's lied to you about almost everything the entire time you've known her?" Tootie snapped. "Someone who's just a pretty face with no substance behind it?"

"You," he said. He'd expected to pause and deliberate, but it came out unbidden. Tootie nodded and advanced on Trixie.

"You're leaving," she said. "I'm keeping him and you're going bye-bye. Later, loser."

"I don't think so," Trixie shot back, snapping her fingers. Her snooty faerie appeared to do her bidding and Tootie gulped. Tootie might be able to manage some magic tricks on her own, but against a full-blooded faerie, he didn't think there was much competition.

"We're gonna get captured, aren't we?" he said to her in an undertone.

"Kinda forgot that everyone has pet faeries," she replied, embarrassed. "Sorry."

Trixie didn't know that Cosmo and Wanda were here, though. Or that Kevin was. That was the saving grace, right? And Crocker couldn't be heartless enough to kill his faeries, right? After all, they'd been Crocker's faeries first. Something told him he shouldn't trust in that, though.

"All right, let's get this over with," he said.

"Don't worry, Timmy," Trixie cooed. "I won't let Vicky hurt you."

She rounded on Tootie. "I will, however, be glad to let Vicky wail on you."

"Yeah, yeah," Tootie muttered. "Fuck you and the horse you rode in on."

Something exploded behind them and all of them turned to stare. Tootie's room had exploded. The side was gone, as was the box with the wands, fake and real. Cosmo and Wanda didn't have magic…but if they could take it from the wands…if they could boost themselves back up…

That didn't explain what had happened to Kevin, but Timmy doubted Cosmo and Wanda had hurt him. He was probably all right, wherever they'd put him for safekeeping.

"This is getting weird," Trixie said.

"I'm out of here," Veronica said. "This is too weird for me."

"We'll be down the street," Trixie informed him. "When you've made the right decision."

She stormed off with Veronica and the bodyguard in tow. Timmy reached for Tootie's hand and squeezed. She squeezed back. Then she raised her wand and blasted all three in the back. They fell over, unconscious, onto the sidewalk. Timmy raised his eyebrows.

"I couldn't beat them fair and square," she explained. Trixie's faerie just stared and then doffed an invisible hat to Tootie before vanishing.

"That doesn't explain what happened to Cosmo and Wanda, though, or Kevin," he said.

"I'm not sure much explains Cosmo," Tootie remarked. "But, yeah…maybe they met up with someone with more power."

"And hopefully they didn't just land right back into Crocker's clutches."

-

They would feel guilty about this later. Kevin was in no danger from his uncle and they needed to reach a place to restore themselves completely. They'd poofed to Fairy World, but the resulting magical backlash from their lack of magic and hotwiring the wands had left them semiconscious in a fountain. Cosmo was collapsed atop Wanda and they weren't seeing anything except stars.

"You two!" Jorgen growled. "You have caused a mess on Earth!"

"That wasn't our fault," Cosmo protested when he was able to speak and move his limbs.

"Yet your magic is the culprit," Jorgen rejoined. He frowned, studying them. They were pale and twitchy without their magic.

"I suppose I shall let you heal while I figure out a way to remedy this," he said.

"Timmy's on it," Wanda informed him.

"Somehow, I am not reassured," he grumbled. "And I have a feeling that Fairy World's magic will not be permitted to interfere with whatever Crocker has done. You two will assist me. Or else."

"Or else what?" Cosmo asked, unable to resist tempting the fates.

"You do not want to know the 'or else'," Jorgen growled. "Trust me."


End file.
